City ballot questions pass easily

The fate of the Board of Revision of Taxes was not the only question Philadelphia voters were asked to settle Tuesday.

Three far-less publicized questions also appeared on city ballots, including a routine bond issue, changes to the Zoning Board of Adjustment and a charter change giving City Council a more muscular role in minority contracting.

All three ballot questions passed easily.

With 20 percent of precincts reporting, voters by a better than 2-1 margin were approving a charter change that would give City Council the power to require companies that do business with the city to make their best efforts to hire a diverse workforce and contract with minority-owned firms.

By a similar margin, voters had agreed to reduce the size of the Zoning Board from six members to five by making the Commissioner of Licenses and Inspections an alternate member as opposed to a full member. The city hopes the smaller sized board will have an easier time reaching a quorum.

Finally, voters gave the city authority to borrow $65.5 million for capital improvements. The routine bond issue was approved by just under a 2-1 margin.